Warren County citizens can weigh in on coming (540) area code change

The impact of technological changes to how people communicate by phone, including not only cell phones, but tablet devices with cellular service, wireline providers, alarm service providers, and “voice over the internet (VoIP) phone service” providers is on the verge of exhausting the 7.9 million available phone numbers in the 540 area code region. It is a sprawling region stretching from Winchester-Frederick County to the northwest, along Virginia’s western boundary in the Shenandoah Valley to Wytheville southward, and eastward to Loudoun and Fauquier Counties, and to Stafford, King George, Spotsylvania and Louisa Counties to the southeast.

A geographic view of Virginia’s area code regions. RTCNCA / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

So, on Thursday afternoon, March 5, the State Corporation Commission (SCC) brought its public hearing process on options to deal with that approaching max out of available telephone numbers in the 540-area code region, to Warren County.

The first of two scheduled public hearings began at 2 p.m. in the Warren County General District Courtroom, chaired by SCC Examiner Matt Roussy. A second hearing was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. to allow people unable to appear due to day work schedules, to appear to express their opinions. However, if you missed the opportunity you can still add input to the SCC as instructed at the end of this article.

According to SCC Associate Deputy Director Sheree King, that first Warren County hearing hit the average of one speaker at two previous hearings on the matter in other jurisdictions. That one Warren County speaker was Town of Front Royal IT and Communications Director Todd Jones. However, Jones told the SCC examiner he was there as an interested citizen and former small business owner, not on behalf of the town government.

Jones spoke against the proposed “geographical split” option that would force individuals and businesses in half of the 540 region’s area to change their existing numbers, a potentially costly option for a business community that would have to change business letterheads, cards and any other source of company contact information. Jones’ concern echoed the general opinion of the state’s business community, SCC Deputy Director King told reporters present.

King also noted that until the geographic option was adopted, it would not be known whether the southern or northern region split between Harrisonburg and Staunton would be the one that would lose its 540-area code to the newly-implemented one.

In an informational packet King handed out, it was noted that two geographic splits have previously impacted this region. The first was in 1996 when the 804-area code was split creating the 540-region to the west. Then in December 2000, the Commission approved a geographic split as further relief for the 804-region, creating the 434-area code in central and south-central Virginia.
However, it was also noted that nationally, the controlling Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and its created agency NANPA (North American Numbering Plan Administrator), have not approved a geographical split since 2006 in New Mexico.

So, it would appear a more likely solution will be one of two “overlay” options that would create a new area code for new numbers in the existing 540-region.

The “all-services overlay” would add a second area code to the existing 540-region, allowing existing 540-numbers to be kept.

An “NPA Elimination Boundary Overlay” would combine the 540-code area with either the existing 434 or 276-area codes regions to its southeast or southwest, respectively, also allowing existing 540-numbers to be kept. Both overlay options would require 10-digit dialing, including the area code on all calls.

Citizens can add their comments during the process in a variety of ways. The case reference number is PUR-2019-00148. Call either toll free at 1 (800) 552-7945 or contact Ms. King at (804) 371-9707 for information. Comments can also be mailed to Joel H. Peck, Clerk SCC c/o Document Control Center, PO Box 2118, Richmond, Va. 23218-2118. A hearing will be held in Richmond at some future point prior to the decision.